Fire disrupts Pottsville Middle Grades classesPOTTSVILLE -- A small fire at Pottsville Middle Grades filled the halls with smoke and delayed classes until 9 a.m. Tuesday but did little damage and caused no injuries. "We're extremely proud of the way the faculty and staff handled everything," Pottsville superintendent Larry Dugger said. "They escorted the few kids who were in the building to the safe room and informed the parents who were still dropping off their kids." Dugger said it was ...

Pottsville hears about Medal of Honor programThe Pottsville School District recently had a day long presentation about the Medal of Honor program for their teachers, with presenters from as far as California. The Medal of Honor program or curriculum is a "flexible, engaging way to introduce character values in classrooms" and is based on six (military) core values: courage, sacrifice, commitment, integrity, citizenship and patriotism, according to one of the presenters. She said the curr...

Community people: Kelly KloberKelly Klober, library media specialist at S.C. Tucker Elementary, was named the Arkansas Association of Instructional Media (AAIM) School Library Media Specialist of the Year. Klober is an advocate of childhood reading and an early adopter of makerspaces and coding. In addition to serving as library media specialist, Klober is a site coordinator for the district's after school program. THE COURIER / Submitted

Contract for Civic Center updatedATKINS -- The Atkins City Council approved during its regular meeting an updated contract for people who rent the W.J. Matthews Civic Center. Mayor Jerry Don Barrett said the rental amount increased to $75 and a cleaning deposit increased to $75. People who rent the civic center will also pay a $10 key deposit. "We tried to make it to fit our needs the best we could," he said. Barrett said a committee formed to take care of the civic center su...

Officials focus on safety as school resumesLocal law enforcement will focus on safety as students return to classes in the Arkansas River Valley on Monday. Russellville, Pottsville, Dover and Hector police departments, Pope County Sheriff's Office and Arkansas State Police will add extra patrols the first week of school to make sure kids arrive safely. Russellville Public Information Officer Drew Latch said officers will watch for illegal use of mobile devices. It is illegal to use any...

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Courier staff reportsThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Community people: Russellville Kiwanis ClubTHE COURIER / Submitted The Russellville Kiwanis Club awarded $6,500 in scholarships to local students who will attend Arkansas Tech University this fall. The Russellville Kiwanis and Arkansas River Valley Arts Center Scholarship was awarded to Aaron Matthew Gilkey in the amount of $2,000. Also awarded were three Russellville Kiwanis Jack Holloway and Joe Ray Memorial Scholarships in the amount of $1,500 to Alida Lupita Gutierrez, Ramey Gavin ...

Community people: Chris Chronister and new realtorsTHE COURIER / Submitted President Chris Chronister swore in new Realtors, Linda Brown and Suzanne Harris with The Pro Team, Camille Blackshire with Boyd Osbore Realtor Group and Ted Stiles with Moore and Company, on Monday.

RussBus breaks ground on housingNot even a month ago, a local organization geared towards assisting the homeless transition to supporting themselves and a household received clearance to build two transitional living facilities, or what they call "comprehensive housing facilities." Fred Teague, who co-founded The Russ Bus, said he has dreamed for two years of the day they would break ground on their idea of a comprehensive housing facility. "It's just amazing to be able to s...

Community people: Browns Catfish InnTHE COURIER / Submitted Browns Catfish Inn recently donated 24 box fans to the Salvation Army for people who needed them. The owner, Alvin Brown, and people at Browns Catfish Inn have been able to help families beat the heat. Pictured from left to right are employees Debbie Meyer and Elisha Baughman.

Businesses honor '16 Tax Free WeekendThis weekend is the annual tax free weekend for the state of Arkansas. Clothing, clothing accessories and school supplies are just a few of the products exempt from state tax this weekend. However, the holiday isn't reserved for back-to-school kids alone. "People need to realize it's not just kids' clothing; it's all accessories and clothing," said Gail Anthes, store manager for Leflers at Russellville City Mall. "Makeup is also included, up t...

2016 River Valley Business ExpoRussellville's annual Business Expo is lights, giveaways, music and more. However, it's also an opportunity for businesses to get to connect with their community. That's exactly what businesses like Coulter Physical Therapy and Kona Ice were able to do Wednesday. Seth Coulter, owner of Coulter Physical Therapy, said he looks forward to the Business Expo to reconnect with old patients and simultaneously build more of a relationship with the Rus...

Area police agencies hold saturation patrolCourier staff reports The Johnson County Sheriff's Department teamed up with the Arkansas State Police, Lamar Police Department, Clarksville Police Department, Coal Hill Police Department, 5th Judicial Drug Task Force and the Pope County Sheriff's department for a community wide saturation patrol last week. The Patrol stretched from U.S. Interstate 40 in Lamar to the Johnson-Pope county line, covering State Highway 64 and all county and city s...

Yell 911 now EMD certifiedAccording to the Yell County Sheriff Bill Gilkey, ambulances have begun being dispatched from Yell Co. 911 on Monday through the recently installed computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system. Gilkey said all 911 operators have now successfully completed training on Emergency Medical Dispatch and are now EMD certified. Officials hope this will increase efficiency and expedite response time for the citizens of Yell County as the agencies work together...